Dr. Nick Montfort doesn’t hold Shakespeare and DaVinci as the high water mark of “creativity,” nor does he believe that human creative endeavor is the only worthwhile kind.   In this interview, Dr. Montfort shares some of his own examples of how computers can aide the creative process in ways that might result in “art” that humans aren’t capable of making alone. In addition, he provides his insight as to where the intersections of artificial intelligence and “creativity” might really lie.  

Dr. Jonathan Moreno’s book “Mind Wars” has contributed to his current reputation as one of the most prominent bioethicists in America today.   In this interview, Dr. Moreno shares his thoughts about the government agencies like DARPA and the NIH are invested in and involved with the latest biotechnology initiatives, from neuro-prosthetics to psychedelics and beyond. He also shares with us his ideas about how civilian needs are often a prime driver of the direction of biotechnology development (even for behemoths like DARPA).

Dr. Al-Rodhan spent decades studying the human mind, and it helped him form a theory of humanity, its nature, and its technological future. Namely, that our very nature will inevitably bring us to go beyond nature - not merely in the extension of our capacities through devices - but through a literal enhancement and extension of our bodies and minds.   In his belief, human beings are emotional creatures with a moral compass that exists for their own egotistical needs. Our desire for power, profit, pleasure, pride and permanency - says Neyef - will drive us beyond the bounds of our physical condition, and it's the role of governments (not corporations) to regulate that process of enhancement and experimentation for the good of humanity. If you're interested in human motivation and the next 20 years of enhancement technology, this is an interview you won't want to miss.

Dr. Patricia Churchland is UC President's Professor of Philosophy Emerita at the University of California, San Diego. He popular books such as “Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality” grapple with issues at the intersection of philosophy and neuroscience. In this interview, Dr. Churchland explains how the evolution of the mammalian brain may have influenced our underlying core moral values, and her belief that society must be strong yet flexible enough to deal with the moral quagmire of new technologies / values / ways of living as we transition into the future..

Tracy Ingram’s mother was misdiagnosed with a brain aneurism and placed on bed rest for two years - a problem that likely resulted from a typo or similar minor error. Tracy founded BioscanR to help turn biological information from patients into more reliable diagnostic data for doctors, and he competed with his idea in the Qualcomm X-Prize. In this interview, Tracy talks about three reasons why healthcare is often slower to adopt new technologies, as well as his predictions about the coming 10 years of healthcare progress and the innovations that he believes may be most useful for patients and physicians alike.

Dr. Hal Blumenfeld is a pathbreaking neuroscience researcher in the domains of deep brain stimulation and epileptic conditions. His recent Yale research work pertaining to the neurological mechanisms of consciousness and awareness (specially in patients with epilepsy) has garnered quite a bit of attention in recent years. In this interview, Dr. Blumenfeld speaks with us about what he sees as the most important neuroscience developments of the past decade, his hopes for the next decade ahead, and his ideas about the future of brain-machine interface technologies.

Dr. Rudolph Tanzi is a neuroscientist and renowned researcher at Harvard University. Selected as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2015 for his groundbreaking alzheimer’s research, Dr. Tanzi also serves as the Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). In this interview, Dr. Tanzi shares his perspective on the relation of thought, the “self,” and free will - as well as his perspective on human enhancement and evolution (which he believes will occur at a biological and genetic level, not through a merger with machines).

Dr. Steve Omohundro earned degrees in physics and mathematics from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley. Today, most of his best-known work   In this interview, Dr. Omohundro shares his thoughts about how we might “scaffold” our security measures to match the intelligence of our machines in order to prevent them from getting out of hand.        

Vivek Wadhwa began as a software entrepreneur and now is a well-known speaker, writer, and Vice President of Academics and Innovation at Singularity University. In this interview, Mr. Wadhwa shares his heartfelt predictions about what he sees as the complete overhaul of healthcare and education in the coming decades ahead - and the widespread benefits of emerging technology for what he sees as a healthier and more informed future generation.

Dr. Steve Fuller is philosopher and professor at the University of Warwick in the UK. After writing “Humanity 2.0” in 2011, Steve has received increasing attention for his ethical perspective on human enhancement and the transhuman transition. In this interview, Dr. Fuller covers covers what he considers to be the most important present considerations of transhumanism - namely - the potential economic impacts (and gross inequality) of enhancing humanity. Dr. Fuller shares why he considers these issues as the best path forward for bringing human enhancement concerns to modern politics.